British Twintub Washing Machines 1957 - 1990

Have put together some compilation shots of British twintubs (1957- 1990) as requested by Camille Gomez, MickeyD & CandyBimatic, showing different actions and inside shots, including the fastest tub empty ever in 1 minute, individual videos will follow.
Twintubs In Use:
ServisSupertwin MK2 1963
Servis MK108 1978
Hoover 3174 1959 (blue lid)
Hoover T5044
Hotpoint 1400 1960 (first model)
Hotpoint 9414 1988 (circle spray)
Philips Toptwin 1966 (spurting agitator)
We hope you enjoy and let us know what your favourite twintub is and what your family had !!
Safety Disclaimer:
For inside shots we have removed some access covers (DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME) and used a zoom lens feature with 2 people present for safety purposes.

[@markcumbriauk]

We in the UK should start making the top loaders again, best washers ever.

[@sirmister4411]

Why is listening to washing machine so relaxing?

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

Who knows , but many of us agree with you 🤔😂👍

[@martinpensom5103]

My Nan had a Philips twin tub washing machine very similar to the one in the video it lasted for years!! Was still in good working order when she had her automatic in 1983-84

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

Hello Martin The Philips was a very well made machine, with its own chassis and seperate pumps, what was your Mums frst automatic when she changed from the Philips ?

[@martinpensom5103]

My Nans automatic was an Indesit automatic my mum's first automatic was a Hoover De Luxe washing machine

[@ronniedodge3299]

Thank it brought memories of my Nan having one of these and it lasted for years

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

Hi Ronnie, yes they where to be found in just about every British home, very simple to use and repair as you can see in the video, all still working from the first made in 1957.

[@marilynmcdowell5525]

I'd have one in a heartbeat there amazing

[@syhooverman5418]

The Hoover Twin Tub was often referred to as The Tanglematic or Splashamatic and with VERY good reason. Agitator machines were more thorough and didnt tangle the contents of the wash tub.

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

It certainly was Clive , woe betide a tub full of shirt sleeves - am at Al's the bank holiday weekend , Al days get yourself over for a catch up 👍👍

[@wurlitzer895]

Absolutely true. I've still got my Hoovermatic Twin Tub, and although it washed very thoroughly, it was exactly as you describe. The Hotpoint was in every respect the better machine, I think. I'm rather surprised Hoover didn't design and produce a less destructive washing machine, but they stuck with the 'pulsator' principle to the end (as far as I know). Great video, btw. Thanks for uploading and best wishes! Pete A :) :) :)

[@frankcasatelli4078]

What beautiful old machines! I loved them!

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

Thank You Frank, many hours of work and enjoyment gone into making them stay working !!

[@Polysixchick]

My nan had the Servis Supertwin 111 right up until 2005 and my mum had the Hotpoint Supermatic deluxe twin tub until 1985

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

Both great twintubs, many still going today , but the automatic did making working lives & families so much easier !!

[@HooverA3060]

Really good compilation Mike. I don't know how I only saw this tonight...in fact I never even realised the Supermatics had the "circle spray", can tell my knowledge of twin-tubs is pretty poor lol. Nonetheless an amazing compilation of some of the finest twin-tubs we produced :).

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it and yes didnt we have just the best range and features, now if we pick all the best and make a "Super Twinny" ha ha !!

[@camillesharp9033]

Thank you ❤ It was so soothing listening to the sounds and watching the different clips ❤

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

Hello Camille, glad you enjoyed seeing a few more of our collection, more to come !!

[@nicholasswain3414]

It's good to see these old machines working I remember my mother having a Parnell with electric wringer not heater one like that is featured in Father Brown Series

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

Thanks Nicholas, preserved for posterity and enjoyment !! Those Parnalls are a sturdy wringer washer with the swing out chrome empty arm, how long did your mother use it before switching to an automatic ?

[@nicholasswain3414]

@@WeHadOneOfThose in January 1965 she replaced it with a new one with a heater she always said it was tinney and not as sturdy as the old one gave it away in72 because she moved into a flat then had automatic hoover matchbox delux h&cfill

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

@@nicholasswain3414 Aha, sounds like it was a Hoover wringer, they are much smaller & lighter and then the Hoover Matchbox delux - did that prove reliable ?

[@royperry9415]

my mom had an A.E.G. lavalux twin tub for years i always used to repair it when it went wrong which wasn't very often usually a new belt that was all the last twin tub she had after we passed the a.e.g. on to someone else it was still working she had a hoovermatic de luxe twin tub fantastic machine the spin drier went that fast the washing was almost dry when it came out

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

Hello Roy , oh those old AEG lavalux twin tubs where built like tractors, the lever for the pump sounded moved with such a CLUNK, the later ones with 3 dials and spin funnel rinse where very enjoyable to watch. I never knew anyone with an AEG growing up but many Hoovermatics about .

[@Bosch4D]

Lovely machines and great footage Mike 👍

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

Cheers, it's good to see some of the differences like faster wash action of the Philips , the floor washing technique of the Hoovermatic but oh isn't that Servis quiet ...until spin lol !!

[@Wantthatman]

LOve love love it , thank you !!

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

Glad you enjoyed it Jaques, more to come soon !!

[@Wantthatman]

@@WeHadOneOfThose GREAT especially like the English Electric Liberator Twin .Would love to see more of that beautiful machine

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

@@Wantthatman You will over the coming weeks, I did film more of it for a full video but I managed to hit a button on record that filmed it in 2 x speed and I didnt realise, was so miffed, so will re record again !!

[@mggilleshope6828]

I used the second twin tub in 1979. by 81 I was using the front load. MEMORIES.

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

Yes the Hoovermatic was a very popular twintub, cheaper to buy, very economical to run and very quick wash times. What was your first front loader ?

[@TakJakbyLuksusowo]

Hmm. Wish to have one british twin-tub one day.

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

Its amazing how many are still about in good working order !!

[@SteveInScotland]

You have all out twin tub machines there, ours my grandmothers and my aunties. Memories!

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

Hello Steve, we aim to please , which models did you have ? those sounds just evoke so many great memories !! Mum had the Servis MK2 twinny that lasted 18 yrs !!

[@SteveInScotland]

chestermikeuk now your asking, maybe you could tell me, I’d love to know! We had two a Hoovermatic Deluxe, one with a spinner lid that opened while it span, the other had an interlock. Then we had the Servis TwinTub with the square rounded knobs just before Servis went bust the first time. Gran had the old Hoover with the great blue metallic colour and the over enthusiastic pulsator that threw suds everywhere, lol. My aunt had the one with the spinner that had the great glass dome on it. She had another hot point with the white powder seive thing.

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

@@SteveInScotland Was it a Hoovermatic wash dog, white spinner lid, blue insert cover and a pipe out the back ? What colour lids and washdeck did the Servis have ie. brown lids on a stainless steel washdeck ?

[@TheLaunderetteExplorer_uk]

Fantastic 👍

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

Cheers Mat, hopefully more to come, a tunnel washer with wringers next !!

[@TheLaunderetteExplorer_uk]

chestermikeuk awesome 😎 I look forward to seeing that 👍

[@TheRealDorran]

It's cool to see! Especially the plastic balloon wringer at 21:53.

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

Hi Dorran just checked back to see what machine, was at that time thats the Hotpoint spin can filling with water being sloshed about for rinsing , we do have wringer washers with large rubber rollers . I need to make a video of the wringers in action.

[@TheRealDorran]

@@WeHadOneOfThose Ok nice

[@TheRealDorran]

@@WeHadOneOfThose So then why is there a grey balloon-shaped ball in the middle?

[@karljm2982]

Fantastic Mike. 😉

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

Thanks Karl, now to get your shiny new / old vintage Hoover's filmed 👍👍

[@karljm2982]

@@WeHadOneOfThose yes i should take some videos of both Hoovermatics in action.

[@multimill]

Great footage of the Philips Top Twin that I haven't seen before :-)

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

Cheers Paul, I`ll do a seperate video of the whole cycle including underneath working, on the editor at the mo, you can really see how quick the wash action is compared to others and the pear shaped spin can really holds the clothes down for better balancing !!

[@multimill]

@@WeHadOneOfThose my mother had the Top Twin Deluxe, very similar but with a few subtle differences. The spinner sounds the same as I remember as a young child. The fact that you could rinse in the spinner and have the pump working constantly was quite unique I think

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

@@multimill Yes there where a few different control panels on the Philips, same working body and yes the spin pump ran constantly which is why you see it pump loads of sudz return when I put the flannelette sheets in and the pump was always on, it has a pump diverter like the Hoovers, turn to drain the washtub.

[@scott.currie]

I’ve never seen a Philips Toptwin!! Great to see the old 3301 - that spinner sound takes me right back to being a kid!

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

@@scott.currie Hello oh glad we could show you the Philips Toptwin, I never knew anyone that had one, first saw it in a Trident store when as a kid I went with nan who wanted a Frigidaire spin dryer !! Yes the 3301 had just been overhauled so its firing on all cylinders lol, 1 minute to empty that tub....

[@Debbiebabe69]

I always love the rosy-eyed view people have on these machines. Yes they are very entertaining and relaxing to watch, but to use, they were HELL. Modern automatic machines are, well, automatic. Chuck the clothes in, add powder, press start, 2 hours later come back and its all done. 'Laundry day' is a 5 minute job. You can even chuck the washing in during the morning, go to work, and it will be ready to put in the tumbler or hang up when you get back. These things however were MANUAL. You had to physically be at the machine the whole time. 'Laundry day' WAS the biggest part of a day. To start with - get the machine out, run pipe from tap to wash tub feed, fill it with water, seperate the clothes, heat up water, add powder. Move the feed water pipe from the wash tub to the spinner. Run another pipe from the spinner drain to the wash tub feed. .Then you put the first load in, cycle it, move clothes from wash to spinner, turn on spinner, add the next load of washing to the wash tub, start wash tub, stop spinner, add rinse water, start spinner... when that is done, stop spinner, empty clothes, move 2nd load from wash tub to spinner, add 3rd load to wash tub.... and so on.... Once all your loads are washed, move the drain outlet from the wash tub feed to your sink and down the plughole, spin and rinse your final load as normal, move the drain input from the spinner to the wash tub, and drain the wash tub. In between all this, you would have a mop in hand, because you WILL need to mop - a lot. Also you are constantly putting your hands in 90 degree Celsius water with very strong caustic detergent, so your hands and arms are constantly getting thermally AND chemically burned. And if you forget one step of the piping merry-go-round, you wont get an error message, no, you will get the full liquid contents of the spinner - or even worse the wash tub, dumped straight onto your floor. The widespread adoption in automatics was a godsend, especially to families. In particular, in combination with other chore-busting machines that really took off in the 1980s like dishwashers, microwaves, tumble dryers, and freezers, it means household chores were no longer a full time job, so both partners could go out and get meaningful jobs - resulting in a boom in household incomes during the 1980s and 1990s, as well as allowing women (who did most of the laundry in those days) to take a fuller part in society as there were no longer full time chores to do.

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

Hi Debbie , can understand where you are coming from but for the housewife like my mum who had 2 kids , a baby burco boiler and a table wringer for Terry nappies , or my gran with a copper washboiler , my Aunt Alice with a small wringer washer , Mrs Thomas with a dolly tub and posser, the purchasing of a twintub was the height of luxury , ease of use over previous washday apparatus and a quicker route to clean clothes and drying ready for ironing the same day if not by hours . Granted when you upgraded to a wonderful automatic you may say the previous laundry machine was inefficient, time consuming and messy but as you didn't know back then you just got on with it and made the best of what you had for washday . The humble twintub was probably for the British home the best thing since sliced bread as your clothes where dryer out the spinner so quicker to dry by line or maiden , alas a lot of the cheaper automatics had such slow spins you where almost back at square one needing a seperate spinner to get clothes dry with regular British weather . Love your feedback and reflections and these twintub washers will always have their place in time , history and family stories ❤️

[@Debbiebabe69]

@@WeHadOneOfThose yes the twintub was a VAST improvement on the single tub plus spinner, and the single tub plus mangle, and of course the posser and dolly plus mangle, but what the automatic did (in combination with the tumble dryer, freezer, dishwaser, and similar machines) was eliminate the need for household chores as a full time job altogether, there was no longer a need for a 'washday' or anything like that, which as well as vastly increacing family incomes as both partners could now pursue a full time career, also liberated women to take a fuller part in society. I will always remember, as a small child, a conversation/argument between my mother and father - she told him either to get rid of the twin tub we had and buy an automatic, or she would go out and buy one herself on 'never-never' (hire purchase, AKA never owned it, never will) and get a PLUMBER to fit it, considering my dad at the time was a plumber, it left him with no option ;)

[@marcse7en]

From a modern day perspective these machines are archaic and time-consuming, but from the perspective of that earlier time, they were better than beating your clothes on the rocks down at the river! The factor at play here is called "nostalgia." These machines evoke childhood memories of my late mother's 70's Hoovernatic "Washdog."

[@LawnMowersThingsThatMakeNoise]

What were the last twin tub models made by major manufacturers. there are new ones but i doubt they are like the real thing. (new plastic thing)

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

Hello James, the last British made Twintubs where the Hotpoint 9414 series in the 1990`s, the models produced today are plastic and cannot use very hot to boiling water as the tubs warp and will leak !!

[@bens1972]

Apparently, according to my parents, i managed to get inside the spinner when i was very small. Thankfully you couldn’t turn it on unless the lid was closed and then the bar moved across

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

Oh wow, not a good move and must have shocked your mum at the time...yes thanks to safety interlocks now lol..

[@UKWEED]

lol

[@marcse7en]

From a modern day perspective these machines are archaic and time-consuming, but from the perspective of that earlier time, they were better than beating your clothes on the rocks down at the river! The factor at play here is called "nostalgia." These machines evoke childhood memories of my late mother's 70's Hoovernatic "Washdog," which was better than the English Electric agitator machine with integrated mangle! I understand those spinners revolved so fast due to the small diameter of the drum. Whereas modern automatics have a larger diameter drum, and hence don't need to spin at twice the speed of sound! 🤣 You'd be lucky to see steam from my modern eco-friendly 20c wash water! Wash water so murky, you can't see if you've got all your washing out! ... With three boys, my mother's Washdog water was like mud! 🤣

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

Hi Marc , great memories you have from childhood and very true, while we watch these now it is on a past nostlgia trip, but when Mumgot her first twinny is was afetr using just a Burco washboiler and table mangle, the Servis Supertwin that followed with 2 small babies must have felt like won the pools.

[@marcse7en]

@@WeHadOneOfThose Couldn't agree more! And hardworking mums deserved labour saving gadgets to lighten their load! Let's all be appreciative of hard-working mothers everywhere! ❤️

[@sandrabeckham9979]

Could you do a tour of your washer collection

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

Hello Sandra, yes will do, am just sorting out some pictures for an album.

[@hibtl8510]

hi there , i am looking for a hoovermatic 3334 resistant bearing seal for the spinner , i cant find one , have you any idea where to find one

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

Oh like Hens teeth , they do come up on ebay sometimes , but if even original , its a 60 year old rubber part, is the rubber split on yours ? Ive used many a patch / sealant on mine to keep them going !!

[@grandcarriage1]

Do British machines often have water heaters in them. I see videos (keymatic, for example) where the steam coming off the water looks frighteningly hot,

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

Hello, yes they have heaters in them usually 2.7kw so can raise the water temperature to boiling, saying that most people I knew would fill with hot water from a back boiler to a fire or a gas fired central heating system.

[@missrose9164]

Are these available in the US? Lets bring these back!

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

I think you can get the plastic "Camper Van" version or portable models .

[@iangrice329]

God those hoover machines were so bad, they made so much mess and left you with a tangled ball of wet washing. 😳 Hotpoint and Service were so much better.

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

I take it you had one to learn from experience Ian ? great little machines to get through washday, tangling was an issue but many people loved them !!

[@iangrice329]

@@WeHadOneOfThose my auntie had one mum had more brains and had a hotpoint.